CU women return to NAIA poll at No. 7

The Cumberland women’s basketball team is ranked No. 7 nationally in the first regular season edition of the 2012-13 NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll, the national office announced Tuesday.

It ties for the highest ranking in the history of the program since 1999-00.

The Bulldogs were last ranked on January 9, 2008, and defeated a pair of teams ranked in the NAIA Preseason Poll so far this season, winning at then No. 2 Shawnee State on November 17 and then 18th-ranked University of the Cumberlands three days later. The Bears are ranked 12th in the first regular season edition while the Patriots moved up two spots to No. 16.

Cumberland is currently 9-0 overall, 4-0 in the Mid-South Conference, winning five of its nine contests on the road. The Bulldogs were last ranked in the Top 10 nationally on Jan. 8, 2007 (8th), and were last No. 7 in consecutive polls on Jan. 11 and Jan. 18, 2006.

CU is currently in the middle of finals and will return to the court Dec. 14-15 in the ninth annual Rosa Stokes Classic, facing Spelman and Berea at the Dallas Floyd Recreation Center.